PPD, Inc.
| Company type | Public (Nasdaq: PPDI; see http://quotes.nasdaq.com/asp/SummaryQuote.asp?symbol=PPDI&selected=PPDI) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Contract Research Organizations Pharmaceutical Biotechnology |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Wilmington, North Carolina; employees in 43 countries |
Key people | Founder and Executive Chairman Fred Eshelman, Pharm.D. Chief Executive Officer David Grange |
| Products | Support services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies and academic and government organizations, including discovery, development and post-approval services as well as compound partnering programs. |
| Revenue | US$ 1.6 billion (2008) |
Number of employees | 10,000 (2009) |
| Website | www.ppdi.com |
Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD, Inc.)
PPD (Nasdaq: PPDI) is a leading global contract research organization (CRO) providing discovery, development and post-approval services as well as compound partnering programs. The company’s clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations.[1] While PPD is mainly known for conducting all aspects of drug development for its clients, it also invests directly in developing new products through its compound partnering program. [2]
History
PPD was founded by Fred Eshelman, Pharm.D., as a one-person consulting firm in 1985.[3] The following year he expanded the company's scope to include development services and relocated operations from Maryland to North Carolina.
Location
PPD is headquartered in Wilmington, N.C. The company has approximately 10,500 employees in 43 countries.[1]
Operations
PPD operates in two main segments: development services and discovery sciences/compound partnering.[4] PPD has also forged strategic alliances with various biopharmaceutical companies and consulting firms in key areas of drug development.[5]
Development Services
PPD provides clinical development and post-approval services for biopharmaceuticals and devices. In addition to offering full service Phase II-IIIb clinical studies for multinational regulatory submissions, PPD provides bioanalytical, cGMP product analysis, global central laboratory, and vaccines and biologics lab services. PPD has a 300-bed healthy volunteer (Phase I) clinic and a dental research clinic in Austin, Texas.
The company’s post-approval services include epidemiology, risk management and outcomes research; late-stage trials; medical information; product safety; registries and observational studies.
PPD offers also clinical data management and information solutions, including consulting and proprietary software tools to speed collection, analysis and reporting of clinical data.[6]
Discovery Sciences/Compound Partnering
The discovery sciences segment offers biomarker discovery services, nonclinical development and preclinical services.[6]Through its compound partnering program, it also seeks to in-license early-stage compounds, take them through proof of concept, and out-license them to its partners for late clinical testing and commercialization. PPD shares in the risks and rewards of bringing a drug to market, gaining revenues generated by licensing fees, milestone payments and commercial royalties.
References
1. “About PPD” Web page at http://www.ppdi.com/about_ppd/
2. “Limits to Growth?” article in PharmTech May 2, 2009 at http://pharmtech.findpharma.com/pharmtech/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=596055
3. “Company History” Web page at http://www.ppdi.com/about_ppd/history.htm
4. “Pharmaceutical Product Development” Web page at http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?rpc=66&symbol=PPDI.O
5. “Strategic Alliances” Web page at http://www.ppdi.com/about_ppd/strategic_alliances/home.htm
6. “Quick Facts about PPD” PDF at http://www.ppdi.com/news_events/pdf/08_PPD_Media_Backgrounder.pdf
External Links
PPD Web site (http://www.ppdi.com)
Reuters Web site (http://www.reuters.com)
PharmTech Web site (http://www.pharmtech.com)
BusinessWeek Web site (http://www.businessweek.com)